District keeps social media as nonpublic forum and tightens linking rules for boosters and third-party pages
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Summary
Springfield Township administrators proposed keeping district social media accounts as nonpublic forums (no public comments), to remove or take down inactive X/Twitter accounts, and to require third-party/booster accounts that link to district sites to identify as unaffiliated or forfeit the ability to link.
The policy committee reviewed a draft social media policy that emphasizes the district will maintain nonpublic district accounts (no public comments) and tighten rules for third-party accounts that want to link to district websites.
The superintendent said the district "purposely choose[s] not to have a Facebook page and Instagram page as a district" and described legal cases elsewhere where districts lost lawsuits over selective deletion of comments. For that reason, the draft maintains district pages as nonpublic forums and directs families with concerns to contact administration by email.
Committee members asked about an inactive X/Twitter account that still links to the district website; the superintendent said she would work with technology staff to take down or deactivate it. "I would be happy to work to get that taken down," she said.
The draft also addresses third-party social media run by boosters, home-and-school groups or student clubs. Administrators proposed requiring that third-party accounts that are linked to the district website display a clear statement that they are not district-owned and not use the district seal; accounts that do not comply would not be permitted to link or advertise via district channels. Some board members preferred that language be required rather than merely "encouraged." The superintendent said administrators could make compliance a prerequisite for linking.
The policy also contains guidance for school directors and employees about private social media postings that could be perceived as acting in an official capacity and reiterates that student postings that violate the code of conduct or cause substantial disruption remain subject to discipline under policy 2 18.
Next steps: administrators will finalize wording, coordinate with attorneys on enforcement language and bring the policy draft to the board for consideration on Jan. 20.